Harris eager to help Trojans

One might wonder how a kid from St. Petersburg, Fla., would adjust to living the simple life at Troy.

But DuJuan Harris wants people to know one thing — he’s not from St. Pete. He’s from Brooksville, which is an hour north of Tampa. That didn’t stop big newspapers in Tampa and St. Petersburg from recognizing him after he accumulated more than 3,000 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns in his high school career.

The sophomore is in line to become Troy’s starting running back this year after backing up seniors Kenny Cattouse and Sean Dawkins last year. He took time for an interview earlier this week.

How does Troy compare to Brooksville?
Brooksville’s a little bigger than Troy. There’s not much of a difference.

Do you go to St. Pete or Tampa much?
Not really. I’ve got some family in Tampa and friends in St. Petersburg.

How did you get picked up by Troy?

I had no offers. I ended up getting an offer from (Florida A&M). Troy called on Wednesday and they offered me a scholarship on the phone. They had seen my tape.

Had you sent tape to Troy?

I had sent tape everywhere. I thought I was going to be at South Florida, but they never called back. Bethune-Cookman sent me a message saying they no longer wanted me.

Bethune-Cookman (a 5-6 team in 2006 and 2007) rejected you?

Yeah, Bethune-Cookman turned me down. The only school that was really on me at the time was FAMU. When Troy offered me, I had to jump on it. When I went on my visit to FAMU, I didn’t buy any apparel or anything. I liked it all right, but couldn’t see myself there.

Did you ever commit to FAMU?

I went ahead and committed because I didn’t want to be in a situation where I didn’t have a scholarship. That was the toughest part of the whole thing, calling FAMU and telling them I’m going to Troy. They understood.

Why do you think you were overlooked?

We were a 4A school, but most of the colleges think all of the talent is at the bigger schools.

What’s your height and weight?

They’ve got me listed at 5-7, 190. I came here and thought I’d be 5-8, but I’m 5-7. I was barely 170 last year, but I’ve put on some muscle.

What’s the biggest difference between high school and college football?
In high school, I never had to worry about blocking and certain lanes. I just went in and ran. Here, the biggest thing for (Troy running backs) coach (Chad) Scott is blitz pickup. It’s more of a complete game.